April 06, 2010

U.S. Olympic Committee Hires Dutko

The U.S. Olympic Committee has hired Dutko Worldwide to help shore up its sometimes troubled relationships with members of Congress, in the wake of its failed bid to bring the 2016 Summer Games to Chicago.

A spokesman for the USOC, Patrick Sandusky, did not respond to a request for comment. But lobbying disclosure documents show that the USOC hired Dutko as of March 22, a few days before a report by an independent commission found that the committee needed to clarify its mission and make some structural changes.

Peter Halpin, a senior vice president at Dutko who previously led Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's Washington office, will lobby for the USOC.

The independent review, led by former National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who is now of counsel at Covington & Burling, recommended some changes, but stopped short of suggesting a major overhaul. The report did say that the "US Olympic movement, and the USOC in particular, has faced some clear failures in recent years," citing "deep frustration" with failed hosting bids by New York and Chicago.